Garment hanger



Dec. 15, 1953 L, w, WALKER 2,662,675

GARMENT HANGER Filed Oct. 15, 1948 Patented Dec. 15, 1953 UNITED STATES PATIENT OFFICE GARMENT HANGER Lloyd W. Walker, B'iue lsfanaiiir, as'si'gno'r to Lloyd w, Walker;-William HvWalker, Kathleen D Walker", and Rose E. Walker,- all-6f" Harvey; 111;, copartners' doing business as walkerMetal Products Company Application October 15, 1948, s'eriaINb. 54,629"

8' Claims; 1;

This invention relates to an improvement" in garment hangers of the character that employs a pair' of clamping b'ars and hinged together supporting members therefor; together with a" lever in the-form'of a hool member pivotally connected to" one supporting member and constructed and arranged t'o be engagedwith the other supporting'member; wherebyto' clamp t he' clamping 'bars upona ga'r-ment and suspend-the same. 7

Some garment hangersnow'on the market em= ploy a spring to urge." the clamping bars apart when: perm'itted 'to do so by the leverso'as to enable the garment to be inserted b'etwe'eri the clamping bars, and the patent tdDek-natelNo': 139553792," dated April 24-;- 19'3'4, discloses an ex: amplecf agarmenthanger of this type; However; theispring shown in this patent i's-weak and the arms" thereof" are likely to be broken" oif if the clamping bars are spreada-partmore than is necessaryz One of the obj ects of this =inventionis to improve upon garmenthangers of trietype disclosed in s theaforesaid patent.

Another object is to provide a*coiled-*expans ion springbetweentwo supporting "members together with i substantial clips f or attaching the end coilsof. the spring to the twosupporting member's; wherebyithere is no likelil iood -that-the spi'i'ngwfll becbrokenin case the clamping bars are spread apartssmore -than isnecessary:

Another 'object is =toprovide-clips to taketl'i pressure .v exerte'd by the spring and to a provide simple': means for attaching 'the' spring to 'said supportingmembers.

Otherrobjects and advantages will appear in the course offithisspecification, andwith' said objects and advantagesnn viewythis rinvention consists in" the- -severalinovel' features hereinafter fully set: forthll-and-more particularly defined in the appended claims;-

' The: invention: is: clearly illiistrat'ed 'in the drawing accompanying" this specification which:

Fig; l is a side elevation of i a garment hanger embodying a simple form of thepresent' invention:

Fig. 2 .isi'a'central A'verti'cal cross section-thereof showing :the clamping-pars#spread *ap'arti Fig; 3: is'. an". enlarged: central vertical 'frag mental-1 cross. section: showing: the supporting members. thesposition" occupied when the" clamping :bars- "are held? together I 'by the" lever.

And?

takeneon the linerh-r-d of Fig. 2;

Referring" to said drawing which is merely illustrative of one embodiment of the present invention, thereference'characters 5, 5 designate ap'a'irof clamping bars between which a garment may be clamped in order to suspend the same. These bars are usually composed of fiat strips of wood or' other suit'ahlematerial.

A pair of supporting members 6, 1 are provided for supporting the'clamping' bars andthese' supporting members may be composed of b'ent up rods-of relatively small diameter; Intermediate their'en'ds, each rod is bent-up into a U shaped member or open loop 801 9 having arms 59, one pair being formedwith aligned horizontal poitions In and the other supporting member is coiled around the' portions In as at l I top'rovide ahinge connection" between the two supporting member's; From'thealigned'portions l0 and from the'co'ils i I, each rod is bent' to" form tWolg'sW? or t3, the ends ofwhich" are tightly secured in holes that extend inward from one edge of the clamping bars.

A coiledexpansion spring [4 extends between the-two U shaped members, and is connected thereto by clips l5, preferably formed of sheetmetal' struck upwith suitable dies. Each clip has aiiatfbodyportion ifi'against' which an end coil H"of"'thespringbears; Extending from'the side edges-ofthe'bodyportion are wing members idwhich are" curled about the arms i9" ofthe associated U shapedm'em'ber, thereby providing airigid connection between the" clip and the U shapedmember. From the "upper edge of each clip" projects tongue 28* which overlies an end coil or twoofthespring; an'dfrom the lower end of' the body portion projects a secondtongue 2i whichisbent uparound the end'coil i! was to "cohfine'the'e'ndfcoil "between the body portion ahdtongiieZ'l; I fined" atitssidesfijythearms I Qof the U shaped member, and-is'c'onfinedat its top-and bottom from the u sh'aped iriemben spitea'ny unusual separation of the clamping barsc'aused by pulling them apart, it will have no tendency'to'hreak' the spring, but the latter unusual distance within given limits;

For clamping theclamping bars upon agarment, an L shaped lever 23 is employedl This leverfisfiattenedatone 'end'an'd the flattened end-is 'curled around'the Ul'bend of one U shaped member to 'forin"an*eye"2'2z leVerisextended to provide a' hook 25" for sus- E'ach en'dc'oil is therefore conpending the garment hanger upon a rod or other support which hook lies in a plane approximately parallel with the clamping bars when held closed by the lever. The bend 26 between the two arms 2d, 2? of the lever is so located with respect to the pivotal connection between the lever and U bend of one of the U shaped members, that the said bend 26 engages the U bend of the other U shaped member when the clamping bars are closed by the lever. surround the U bend of the U shaped member which is engaged by the bend 26 of the lever. When clamping a garment between the clamping bars, the latter are first brought together upon the garment with one hand, and with the other hand, the lever is swung up into locking position with the U shaped members and therewith the clamping bars pressed toward each other thereby clamping the garment securely between the clamping bars.

Having thus described my invention, it is obvious that various immaterial modifications may be made in the same without departing from the spirit of my invention; hence, I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the exact form, construction, arrangement and combination of parts herein shown and described or uses mentioned.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A garment hanger comprising a pair of clamping bars, two hinged together bent up bar supporting rods operatively mounted on the clamping bars and each formed with an open loop projecting downward from the hinge connection between the rods, a coiled expansion spring transverse to the hinge connection and extending between said open loops and operatively connected thereto and clips, one rigidly attached to each loop and operatively attached to an end coil of the spring, and an L shaped lever hinged on one of said loops and adapted to engage the other whereby during the clamping operation the clamping bars are clamped together compressin the spring and when the lever is unlatched the clamping bars and each formed with a U shaped member projecting downward from the hinge connection between the rods, a coiled expansion spring transverse to the hinge connection and extending between said open loops and operatively connected thereto, and clips, one rigidly attached to each U shaped member and operatively attached to an end coil of the spring, whereby the spring is adapted to be compressed when the bars are clamped together and when the bars are released the force of the compressed spring causes the clamping bars to open.

3. A garment hanger comprising a pair of clamping bars, two hinged together bent up bar supporting rods operatively mounted on the clamping bars and each formed with an open loop projecting downward from the hinge connection between the rods, a coiled expansion spring transverse to the hinge connection and extending between said open loops and operatively connected thereto, and two clips, each having two wings adapted for attaching the clip to the bight portions of the loop to which it is affixed and two tongues adapted for rigidly attaching the end of the coils of the spring to the open loops.

4. A garment hanger comprising a pair of If desired a roller 28 may clamping bars, two supporting members therefor comprising two bent-up rods each formed with two legs the ends of which are secured respectively in said clamping bars, both of said rods being formed with U shaped members, one connected to its associated legs by aligned horizontal portions and the other rod being coiled around said aligned horizontal portions to provide a hinge, said U-shaped members depending beneath the said hinge, a coiled expansion spring transverse to said hinge and extending between the two U shaped members and operatively connected thereto, clips formed with wings secured to the two arms of each of said U shaped members and having upper and lower tongues engaging over an end coil of the spring, and a clamping lever having an eye pivotally secured on the U bend of one of the U shaped members and an arm to engage the U bend of the other U member to draw the two U shaped members toward each other, said lever terminating in a hook for supporting the hanger.

5. A garment hanger comprising a pair of clamping bars, two supporting members therefor comprising two bent-up rods each formed with two legs, the ends of which are secured respectively in said clamping bars, both of said rods being formed with U shaped members, one connected to its associated legs by aligned horizontal portions and the other rod being coiled around said aligned horizontal portions to provide a hinge, said U-shaped members depending beneath the said hinge, a coiled expansion spring extending between the two U shaped members and operatively connected thereto, clips, one secured to the two arms of each U shaped member and having tongues engaging over an end coil of the spring, and a clamping lever having an eye pivotally secured on the U bend of one of the U shaped members and an arm to engage the U bend of the other U member to draw the two U shaped members toward each other, said lever terminating in a hook for supporting the hanger.

6. The combination with a garment hanger comprising a pair of clamping bars adapted to be latched together and released, two hinged to gether bent up bar supporting rods operatively mounted on the clamping bars and each formed with an open loop projecting downward from the hinge connection between the rods, and a lever hinged on one of said loops and adapted to engage the other, of spring means comprising a helically coiled spring having its axis transverse to the hinge connection and operatively connected to each of the loops, and clip means including means afiixed to each of the loops and securing means operatively connected to the opposite end coils of the spring, whereby the spring is adapted to be compressed when the clamping bars are latched together by the lever and upon release of the lever the action of the spring effects the release and opening of the clamping bars.

'7. A garment hanger comprising a pair of clamping bars, two supporting members therefor comprising two bent-up rods each formed with two legs, the ends of which are secured in a clamping bar, each of said rods being formed with a U-shaped member, each of said U-shaped members having horizontal arms extending therefrom, said arms merging into the legs, the horizontal arms extending from one of said U-shaped members being coiled around the horizontal arms of the other of said U-shaped members to provide a hinge between the two supporting members, a

coiled expansion spring extending between the two U-shaped members and operatively connected thereto, clips, one for each U-shaped member, each clip having wings extended therefrom and curled around the U-shaped member, each clip having also a tongue extending over an end coil of the spring and an upwardly bent tongue engaging over said end coil of the spring, and a lever having an eye pivotally connected to the U bend of one U-shaped member, and arranged to be engaged with the bend of the other U-shaped member, whereby the lever is adapted to draw the clamping bars together and lock them, and upon release of the lever, the clamping bars are opened under the action of the spring.

8. A garment hanger comprising a pair of clamping bars, two bent-up rods forming supporting members and each formed with two legs, the ends of which are secured in a clamping bar, each of said rods being formed with a U-shaped member, each of said U-shaped members having horizontal arms extending therefrom, said arms merging into legs, the horizontal arms extending from one of said U-shaped members being coiled around the horizontal arms of the other of said U-shaped members to provide a hinge between the two supporting members, a coiled expansion spring extending between the two U-shaped members and operatively connected thereto, and clips one for each U-shaped member, each clip having Wings extended therefrom and curled around the associated U-shaped member, each clip having also two tongues extending over an end coil of the spring, and a lever having an eye encircling the U bend of one U-shaped member and arranged to be engaged with the other U-shaped member to move the clamping bars together, whereby the lever is adapted to draw the clamping bars together and lock them, and upon release of the lever, the clamping bars are opened under the action of the spring.

LLOYD W. WALKER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,022,295 Bowman Apr. 2, 1912 1,955,792 Deknatel Apr. 24, 1934 2,212,978 Deknatel Aug. 27, 1940 2,455,258 Levitin Nov. 30, 1948 

